Raúl Valdivieso

Latin American Raúl Valdivieso Bronze Organic Abstract Sculpture

1960s

One of a kind ceramic sculpture by Latin American sculptor Raúl Valdivieso (Chilean, 1931-1993). Valdivieso is known for his reinterpretation of classic organic forms and human figures. Sculpture retains the original wood and black laminate base with metal cage. Ceramic is in good original condition. Laminate is in poor condition with a few chips. Raúl Valdiveso was born September 9, 1931 in Santiago, Chile. In 1952 he began his studies at the School of Fine Arts at the University of Chile. There he took to sculpture and studied under professors like Marta Colvin...

Sculpture by Brazilian-born artist Elizabeth Freire. Sculpture is mounted on marble base and signed "EF". B&W photo is of Ms. Freire with renowned sculptor Etienne Martin at the Ecole Nationals des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Elizabeth Freire is a Brazilian-born, contemporary American artist. At the age of eighteen, she left Rio de Janeiro and moved to Paris to study sculpture at l’Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, receiving her Diploma there in 1979 under the direction of Claude Viseux, Etienne Martin, and Cesar. During that time she worked as an apprentice at the Fonderie de France where she learned bronze technique and she also attended etching courses at l’Ecole de Montparnasse. In 1976, she won a commission to make three life-size figures representing the printing company, “Les Imprimeries de Boulogne,” at the International Printing Fair in Paris. She spent 1977 in Aix-en-Provence where she carved the local stone of Rogne. Returning to Paris, the painter Lutka Pink introduced her to Otero, Frans Krajcberg and Hajdu from whom she received valuable lessons. In 1978, she traveled to Brazil where she was invited to participate in the exhibit ‘A Century of Sculpture in Brazil’. She also met with the sculptor Sergio Camargo...

Exceptional wood sculpture by Andrea De Zerega (1916-1990). Titled "Homage to Noland." Signed and dated 1968. Base is weighted for stability. Exhibit...

Wonderful and one of a kind nude sculpture by Noche Crist (1909-2004). Sculpture is made from polyester resin. Catalogue of a postumous retrospective in 2008 at the American Universi...

Maxine Kim Stussy, a prolific sculptor and painter from the late 1940’s to present. Maxine led an incredibly artistic life traveling the world with h...

Bronze heron by American sculptor Wayne Williams. Signed and dated 1993. Edition 2/2. Mounted on a walnut base. From Finger Lakes Magazine 2001: Art is everywhere in the Finger Lakes. Inspired by the region’s diverse scenery and lifestyles, artists pursue their creativity outdoors, in studios and in workshops. In the many well-established museums and galleries or at the newer fledgling arts organizations, a wide array of artistic styles and talents are represented. Often the artists, like Wayne Williams, share their artistic skill and passion through teaching at local colleges. Williams, who is retired after a 35-year career at Finger Lakes Community College, found his calling there. “I didn’t want to teach in public schools,” explains Williams of his career choice. “I wanted to be at the college level. CCFL (the Community College of the Finger Lakes, as it was then known) was literally creating a college, right from scratch.” The year was 1968 and Williams was charged with coordinating the new college’s art program. Rand Darrow, a CCFL student in that first year, remembers attending Williams’ art classes in a commercial building on Main Street just south of the railroad tracks in Canandaigua. Darrow appreciated his instructor’s relaxed manner. “He was a great teacher,” recalls Darrow, “cracking jokes all the time.” Darrow graduated with a major in Liberal Arts and continued on to SUNY Oswego where he earned a BA in fine arts. He taught art to elementary and middle school students for 30 years. These days Williams and Darrow typically cross paths at the Wayne County Arts Council in Newark where Williams and his wife, Marleen, are heavily involved. Williams offers classes in figure drawing and sculpture and hangs the gallery’s shows, including his former student’s “Slavic Tales of Novgorod” this past August. “I’d like to take a sculpture class from him,” says Darrow. In 2003 when Williams retired, the college honored him and another retiring art professor, Tom Insalaco, by renaming its art gallery the Williams-Insalaco Art Gallery. It was known formerly as Gallery 34 to recognize its origins at 34 North Main Street in Canandaigua. Williams held professor’s rank from 1976 and served as director of the art gallery beginning with its opening in 1983. Williams, who was born and raised in Newark, New York, says he began doing art at about age 8. By the time he was in junior high school his career direction seemed clear. He received local and national awards for his art and a scholarship to Syracuse University, from which he graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture. He continued with graduate work at Syracuse, receiving an MFA in sculpture in 1962. He worked full time as a sculptor until he began teaching. At one point Williams admits he wanted to be a painter, but didn’t want to adopt the abstract expressionist style in vogue in the 1950s, preferring to pursue the realist tradition. He advises any would-be artist to “do what you do because you love it.” After graduation he traveled abroad, spending time in Belgium, the land of his ancestors. “My family’s name was originally Willems,” explains the 73-year old who still relishes the time spent in the Flemish countryside. Williams speaks excitedly about art, referencing the lives of great artists. He acknowledges that American artists do not have the same stature as those in Europe, where Old Masters like Brueghel and Rembrandt are national heroes. These days the energetic Williams, known primarily as a sculptor, is active at the Phelps Arts Center where he is on the board of directors. In mid-September when a group of visitors on a motor coach tour explored artworks displayed in the beautiful church-turned- gallery, they were treated to a large number of Williams’ bronze and metal sculptures, along with his charcoal drawings. “I’ve always loved his work because he deals with things, people, and animals you understand,” says the center’s Director Emeritus Marion Donnelly, who has known him for many years. Outside the Phelps Community Historical Society, Williams’ life-size figure of a farmer raises his pitchfork above a colorful flower garden on the front lawn. Inspired by the peasants working the fields in Europe, the metal figure is shown with wooden shoes. This is Williams’ largest copper piece, loaned to the Phelps museum in connection with Artistry in Sculpture, a community exhibition in 2009. Williams added a new base using a metal wagon...

Organic, abstract bronze sculpture by Yulla Lipchitz of a woman lying down with a tree. About this artist: Yulla Lipchitz, née Halberstadt, was born on April 21, 1911 in Berlin, Ge...

A very heavy, massive bronze sculpture by an important Chicago sculptor. Signed and marked "Firenze" with "Fuse Marinelli". METROPOLIS. Seven abstract shapes on black marble base. 1...